The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Jainism, along with Buddhism and Hinduism, is one of India's great dharmic traditions – though far less well known than its siblings. Emerging around the second century BCE, it is best-known for valuing ahimsa in pursuit of liberation – a devout practice of non-violence. Yet there is far more to Jain philosophy than liberation and ahimsa. Jainism offers a rich way of understanding the self, the cosmos, and the divine. It's a philosophy with a vision of reality that continues to challenge Western preconceptions on, well, just about everything: from the nature of souls and knowledge to the meaning of life and the origin of the universe.

Today, we'll be exploring Jainism with Dr Marie-Hélène Gorisse. Dr Gorisse is currently Dharmanath Assistant Professor in Jain Studies at the University of Birmingham, where she's co-project lead of the Global Philosophy of Religion Project 2. Marie-Hélène's work explores South Asian philosophy of religion and, most specifically, she is a world-leading expert on Jaina philosophy.

In this episode, we'll trace how Jainism arose, how its sages taught that the self can escape the cycle of rebirth, and the purpose of the universe. And perhaps more importantly, we'll explore how Jainism can help us all live better lives for the sake of ourselves, and the world around us.

This episode is produced in partnership with The Global Philosophy of Religion Project at University of Birmingham, funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

Links

Marie-Hélène Gorisse, University of Birmingham

The Global Philosophy of Religion Project 2, Website

Most people believe in moral facts – that is, there's something about torturing and murdering innocent people that makes it wrong, which goes beyond just a feeling. Yet it's hard to locate morality anywhere in the natural world. For this reason, many have understood God to be the source and arbiter of moral truth. But can morality depend on divine decree – or would that make goodness a matter of celestial whim?

In this episode, we'll be discussing the nature of moral obligation with Paul Taylor, doctoral candidate in philosophy at the University of Liverpool. There, as a university teacher, he specialises in ethics, political philosophy, and – our topic for today – philosophy of religion. As the recipient of the Robbins Rotblat Scholarship, Paul's research examines one of the oldest and most perplexing questions in moral philosophy – first posed by Plato over two thousand years ago: does God decide what is moral, or merely report moral facts?

In search of the best answer, we've been diving into Paul's unpublished work – pieces that ask not just the big meta-ethical questions, but the practical ones: what are we obliged to do, and why are we obliged to do it. As we'll discover, Taylor's work – and contemporary discussion on the Euthyphro dilemma – pushes us to think again about where morality comes from and whether we, and even God, must answer to it.

This is a live recording from our recent show – The Future of Humanity – held on 3 June 2025 at London's Royal Institution Theatre.

The event was a conversation between psychologist Steven Pinker and biologist Richard Dawkins – both previous guests on The Panpsycast – exploring the evolution of human beings and the challenges we face in the future. Richard leads the discussion, questioning Steve about his extensive catalogue of books and his contributions to psychology, sociology, and evolutionary theory. They focus a lot on the past but, eventually, get on to the future. It's a brilliant exchange, covering a wide range of topics and packed with some of Pinker's most important insights.

The first part of this podcast special is their free-flowing conversation; the second is a Q&A with the audience, hosted by Jack. Thank you to everyone who came along and made the show possible. Without further ado, here's the audio from our live show – we hope you enjoy the conversation.

Links

Steven Pinker, Website

Richard Dawkins, Website

Introduction

Given the choice, who wouldn't increase the balance in their bank account, switch into a fit and healthy body, find themselves in a meaningful career, and cultivate happiness and love in their relationships? These are preferences we all share, but few of us achieve them. Perhaps we could, if only we made better choices. We all want to make better decisions – the salad over the burger, the restful night's sleep over 'one more episode' – yet we continue to succumb to our desires. Perhaps we need some help: maybe we need something to nudge us in the right direction?

In this episode, we'll be discussing the philosophy of nudges with Professor Thomas Schramme. Chair of Philosophy at the University of Liverpool, Thomas's research focuses on moral and political philosophy and the philosophy of health and medicine. With over one hundred publications and heading several innovative projects – including 'How Does it Feel? Interpersonal Understanding and Affective Empathy' – Professor Schramme is not only an expert in his field but always communicates his ideas through accessible and engaging prose.

As we'll find in this interview, Schramme challenges some of the most prominent ideas in contemporary politics and psychology. According to Daniel Kehneman, nudges 'have changed the world'… but, asks Schramme, do they always change it for the better?

This episode is produced in partnership with the Philosophy and the Future project at the University of Liverpool. For more information about philosophy at Liverpool, head over to www.liverpool.ac.uk/philosophy.

Contents

Part I. Public Health

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion

Links

Thomas Schramme, University Profile.

Thomas Schramme, Publications.

Thomas Schramme, Free-riders, collective benefit and the philosophy of mandatory vaccination.

Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness, The Final Edition.

Introduction

Given the choice, who wouldn't increase the balance in their bank account, switch into a fit and healthy body, find themselves in a meaningful career, and cultivate happiness and love in their relationships? These are preferences we all share, but few of us achieve them. Perhaps we could, if only we made better choices. We all want to make better decisions – the salad over the burger, the restful night's sleep over 'one more episode' – yet we continue to succumb to our desires. Perhaps we need some help: maybe we need something to nudge us in the right direction?

In this episode, we'll be discussing the philosophy of nudges with Professor Thomas Schramme. Chair of Philosophy at the University of Liverpool, Thomas's research focuses on moral and political philosophy and the philosophy of health and medicine. With over one hundred publications and heading several innovative projects – including 'How Does it Feel? Interpersonal Understanding and Affective Empathy' – Professor Schramme is not only an expert in his field but always communicates his ideas through accessible and engaging prose.

As we'll find in this interview, Schramme challenges some of the most prominent ideas in contemporary politics and psychology. According to Daniel Kehneman, nudges 'have changed the world'… but, asks Schramme, do they always change it for the better?

This episode is produced in partnership with the Philosophy and the Future project at the University of Liverpool. For more information about philosophy at Liverpool, head over to www.liverpool.ac.uk/philosophy.

Contents

Part I. Public Health

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion

Links

Thomas Schramme, University Profile.

Thomas Schramme, Publications.

Thomas Schramme, Free-riders, collective benefit and the philosophy of mandatory vaccination.

Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth and Happiness, The Final Edition.

The existence of God is the most discussed, and perhaps the most important, question in philosophy. For the majority of the world's population, God provides meaning, morality, metaphysics, and hopefully, salvation.

A rich history of scholarship defending God's existence has meant theism has long been considered to be a reasonable worldview; however, with the rise of secularism and the new atheist movement, a fiery and passionate debate has ensued: one of science vs. religion. Our question: can the two be reconciled?

In this episode, we'll be discussing God's existence with one of contemporary philosophy's most influential thinkers, Professor Richard Swinburne. Best known for his great trilogy of books – The Coherence of Theism, The Existence of God, and Faith and Reason – Professor Swinburne's impact on philosophy of religion has been enormous... from high school classrooms to university halls, every teacher knows his name and every student must wrestle with his work.

According to Swinburne, theism is the friend – and not the enemy – of science; for God 'explains everything that we observe', from the universe's existence and the scientific laws which operate within it, to its extraordinary miracles and conscious creatures. 'If we want a complete explanation of the universe', says Swinburne, 'then science needs God.'

Contents

Part I. Is there a God?

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion

Links

The Existence of God, Richard Swinburne (book).

Is There a God?, Richard Swinburne (book).

More books by Richard Swinburne.

The existence of God is the most discussed, and perhaps the most important, question in philosophy. For the majority of the world's population, God provides meaning, morality, metaphysics, and hopefully, salvation.

A rich history of scholarship defending God's existence has meant theism has long been considered to be a reasonable worldview; however, with the rise of secularism and the new atheist movement, a fiery and passionate debate has ensued: one of science vs. religion. Our question: can the two be reconciled?

In this episode, we'll be discussing God's existence with one of contemporary philosophy's most influential thinkers, Professor Richard Swinburne. Best known for his great trilogy of books – The Coherence of Theism, The Existence of God, and Faith and Reason – Professor Swinburne's impact on philosophy of religion has been enormous... from high school classrooms to university halls, every teacher knows his name and every student must wrestle with his work.

According to Swinburne, theism is the friend – and not the enemy – of science; for God 'explains everything that we observe', from the universe's existence and the scientific laws which operate within it, to its extraordinary miracles and conscious creatures. 'If we want a complete explanation of the universe', says Swinburne, 'then science needs God.'

Contents

Part I. Is there a God?

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion

Links

The Existence of God, Richard Swinburne (book).

Is There a God?, Richard Swinburne (book).

More books by Richard Swinburne.

Imagine the smile on your parent's face as you rush to meet them at the school gates, the soft heat of the sand between your toes on a first holiday, waking up in the haze of a late afternoon after dancing all night, the drop in your stomach when you realize you'll never hear their voice again. These are conscious experiences. Without them, what is there to life? In this sense, we all know what consciousness is – there's nothing we know more intimately – yet it remains one of life's greatest mysteries. Despite the incredible advances made in physical science, it doesn't seem like we're any closer to an explanation of where consciousness comes from. How is it, exactly, that the brain's 86 billion neurons give rise to conscious experience? As we'll see, our answer to this question will not only shape our understanding of the human mind, but the fabric of reality itself. – Extract from Philosophers on Consciousness

Introduction

Imagine the smile on your parent's face as you rush to meet them at the school gates, the soft heat of the sand between your toes on a first holiday, waking up in the haze of a late afternoon after dancing all night, the drop in your stomach when you realize you'll never hear their voice again. These are conscious experiences. Without them, what is there to life? In this sense, we all know what consciousness is – there's nothing we know more intimately – yet it remains one of life's greatest mysteries. Despite the incredible advances made in physical science, it doesn't seem like we're any closer to an explanation of where consciousness comes from. How is it, exactly, that the brain's 86 billion neurons give rise to conscious experience? As we'll see, our answer to this question will not only shape our understanding of the human mind, but the fabric of reality itself. – Extract from Philosophers on Consciousness

Contents

Part I. The Fabric of Reality

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion

Links

Philosophers on Consciousness: Talking about the Mind (Bloomsbury; Jack Symes).

The Panpsycast is now five years old. In which time, we have never failed to release a weekly instalment of the show. We're exceptionally proud of what we've accomplished with your support. From our audiobook and upcoming book series to our big interviews and collaborations with leading organisations – it's incredible that so many of you tune in week in, week out and support us on Patreon.

Producing the podcast takes a lot of work, and every project has its peaks and valleys. The beginning of the pandemic marked a difficult time for us behind the scenes, and we've reached a point where we need to take a short step back.

So, The Panpsycast will be taking a break; set to return on November 7th, 2021. 

Throughout our hiatus, we'll be pausing all Patreon payments. So, for August, September, and October, you won't be charged anything if you've already pledged your support. We hope that you'll stick around so we can keep producing the show when we return, and we're incredibly grateful for your patience and understanding.

If you're missing us over the next three months, we've got over 250 instalments of the show in our back-catalogue, a 24-chapter Christianity audiobook on our website, and absolutely loads of bonus content over on our Patreon – including heaps of After Shows and insider interviews. If you've already been through our content… then, wow! You should really check out Philosophy Bites… just kidding. We're incredibly grateful for your support and hope the content we've released will inspire you to hit the book shops whilst we're away.

We know how much the show means to so many of you, and we haven't taken this decision lightly. Producing the show means so much to all of us, and we can't wait to get back. 

We'll see you back here on November 7th, 2021.

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'The Cave', written and performed by Andrew Horton.